Abdul-Samad especially remembers Mandela's belief in the potential of young people.

"Not only could you hear it in his voice, but you could see it in his whole body language, his whole demeanor, how important children are to our future," Abdul-Samad said. "That was the moment I realized I was in the right business."

Abdul-Samad said he heard about Mandela's death on his way to pick up his children from a tutoring program.

"I sent my prayers out to the family and to the world that we miss him, but the key is not only will he be missed, but it's up to us now to make his legacy a reality," Abdul-Samad said.

With the death of an icon, comes mourning and motivation.

"This gives us the opportunity now to come back and face the realities and say, 'OK. Let's renew the struggle. Let's renew our hope. Let's renew our commitment to making changes,'" Abdul-Samad said.